grandMA3 User Manual Publication

Features 2.4

Phaser Recipes and Shapes

 Added in this release:

Phasers can now be created as recipes.
Phaser recipes are recipes that have 2 or more steps.

To create a phaser recipe:

  1. Open the recipe editor.
  2. Tap Add Phaser Recipe.
  3. Add a selection and values in the recipe lines.

To add steps to a phaser recipe, tap New Step below the phaser recipe.
If additional steps are added to a phaser recipe, some values are inherited from previous steps.

Phaser recipes in presets are indicated with a violet . When editing a phaser preset, a temporary version of the recipe editor opens in the edit window.
To add phaser recipes to cue parts, open the sequence sheet, enable Show Recipes in the window settings, and tap on the violet  on the left side of the recipe lines.        

Recipe lines of phaser recipes are indicated by a violet background in the recipe editor and can be edited like standard recipe lines, which are indicated by a green background.
The colors for both standard and phaser recipes can be changed in the color theme.
Known Limitation:
Currently phaser recipes cannot be created using the edit recipe mode. The edit recipe mode is only available in standard recipes.
Multiple new columns have been added to the phaser editor for creating phaser recipes. Additionally, a context area has been added to the recipe editor to edit recipes lines. For more information on the context area, see below. 
  • Step: Displays which step of the phaser the recipe line corresponds to. The step is set automatically and cannot be changed manually.
  • Shape: Select a shape from the shapes pool. Shapes span across the entire phaser. Selecting a shape influences other values. For more information on shapes, see below. 
    If you assign a shape to a phaser recipe, values that are set in the shape are applied to the corresponding empty cells in the phaser recipe. Values that are set manually in a phaser recipe have priority over values that are set in the shape. They are not overridden if a shape is assigned. Exception: Curves that are set manually are overridden with the curves in the shape if the shape is called a second time.
    Values that are transferred from the shape are displayed in angle brackets (<>).
    Restriction:
    If you use PSR, phaser recipes will lose the link to referenced shapes. 
  • Attributes: Select an attribute from the list. To select a filter, tap Filters in the Sheet tab or tap the Filter tab in the assignment editor.
    To filter the list of attributes, tap Filter next to the search bar in the context area or in the title bar of the assignment editor. The options are All, Used, Unused, and Selection. Used and Unused refer to the attributes used in the show file. Selection displays all attributes that are available for the current selection. If there is an attribute set in the selected shape object, the attribute of the shape will be automatically added if the Attributes column is empty. 
  • To clear the attributes cell, tap Clear Attribute in the context area or tap the Empty tab in the assignment editor.
    Attributes are set for all steps. 
  • Value Absolute: Set an absolute value for an attribute, for instance a dimmer value of 50%. Presets can be used as absolute values. Presets that cannot be used as absolute values are grayed out in the pool. Empty presets can be selected as absolute values. Select None in the Specials tab in the calculator to specify that no absolute value is applied.
  • Value Relative: Set a relative value for an attribute, for instance a dimmer value of -20%. Presets can be used as relative values. Presets that cannot be used as relative values are grayed out in the pool. Empty presets can be selected as relative values. Select None in the Specials tab in the calculator to specify that no relative value is applied.
  • Curve: Select a curve from the dropdown. The options are Linear, Ease In and Out, Ease Out, Ease In, Snap, and Swing. If a curve differs from the predefined curves or you manually adjust a curve in the editor, the cell displays Custom. A visual representation of the curve is displayed on the left of the cell. Curves can be edited per step. For more information on editing curves, see Edit Shapes.
    To reset the curve of a single step to the shape that is set in the phaser recipe, select Reset in the dropdown. If no shape is set, the curve will be reset to the default Linear.
    To reset the curves of all steps to the shape that is set in the phaser recipe, tap Reset to Shape in the encoder bar. If no shape is set, the curves will be reset to the default Linear.
  • Trans X/Y/Z: Set a transition value or range of values on the X, Y, or Z axis. For more information on the transition layer, see step layers.
  • Width X/Y/Z: Set a width or range of width values on the X, Y, or Z axis. For more information on the width layer, see step layers.
  • Accel X/Y/Z: Set an acceleration value or range of values on the X, Y, or Z axis. "P" or "F" in front of the value in the cell indicates if Spline in the calculator is set to Proportional (P) or Free (F). For more information on the accel layer see step layers.
  • Decel X/Y/Z: Set a deceleration value or range of values for the X, Y, or Z axis. "P" or "F" in front of the value in the cell indicates if Spline in the calculator is set to Proportional (P) or Free (F). For more information on the decel layer see step layers.
  • Measure: Change the value of the measure layer. For more information on measure see phaser layers.
  • Playback: For information on other columns in the recipe editor see Recipes.

    • NShot: Determine the number of times the phaser runs. After completing the number of cycles set in the cell, the phaser automatically stops. Example: To create a one shot phaser, set NShot to 1. The phaser runs a single time and then stops. NShot can be set to a number lower than 1. The phaser then stops before completing an entire cycle. Example: If you have a phaser with 4 steps and you set NShot to 0.75, only the first 3 steps of the phaser will run, the fourth step will be omitted.
      To keep the values that are active at the end of the determined phaser cycles, set NShot Stay to Yes in the calculator. To run the phaser in a loop, tap Unlimited in the calculator. 
      To retrigger an NShot phaser, activate  Sync in the encoder bar.

      Added NShot keyword:
      NShot keyword sets the number of phaser cycles using the command line.
      Use this syntax:
      At NShot [NShot_Number]
      Example:
      To set the number of phaser cycles to 4, type:
      User name[Fixture]>At NShot 4

    • Direction: Set the direction in which you want the phaser to run.
      • Forward: The phaser steps run in the order set in the phaser, for example 1 - 2 - 3.
      • Backward: The phaser steps and transitions run in reverse order, for example, 3 - 2 - 1.
      • Alternate: The phaser continuously alternates between running forward and backward. If you use Alternate in combination with NShot, one cycle includes one forward and one backward run of the phaser. Example: If NShot is set to 1 in a phaser with three steps and direction is set to Alternate, the phaser runs 1 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 1 and then stops.
    • Adaptive Measure:
      If set to Yes, the measure is adapted to the number of grid positions on an axis. By default, Adaptive Measure applies to the x-axis. Example: If you have a selection of 10 fixtures that are arranged across the x-axis and enable Adaptive Measure, the measure is set to 10. This can be used to synchronize the phaser to a beat. To apply the value that is set in the shape of the phaser recipe, select Take from Shape in the selection pop-up. The selection pop-up is only available if a shape is set in the recipe.
    • Adaptive Width: 
      If set to Yes, the width of the first step is adapted to the number of grid position on an axis. By default, Adaptive Width applies to the x-axis. Example: If you have a selection of 5 fixtures that are arranged across the x-axis and enable Adaptive Width, the first step is automatically calculated to be 20 %. This can be used to output exactly one grid position of a selection at a time. Curve, width, and transition reflect the calculated values. The transition can be edited in the first step.
      When adaptive width is set to Yes, the width cannot be changed manually. To apply the value that is set in the shape of the phaser recipe, select Take from Shape in the selection pop-up. The selection pop-up is only available if a shape is set in the recipe.
      Adaptive width can only be used with phasers that have two steps. If a step is added to a recipe with Adaptive Width set to Yes, it is automatically set to No.
    • Adaptive XY Rotation:
      Rotate the axis to which Adaptive Measure and Adaptive Width are applied. To apply the value that is set in the shape of the phaser recipe, tap Take from Shape in the editor pop-up.        
For information on other columns in the recipe editor, see Recipe Editor.

When adding or editing a phaser recipe in the recipe editor, a dedicated encoder bar is displayed. This bar allows you to easily edit phaser recipes.

You can store phaser recipes to sequences, cues, cue parts, presets, or programmer parts. Newly created recipe presets and presets that are converted into a recipe using Turn into Recipe are stored as Selective.


 Improved recipe editor:

Added a context area to the recipe editor:  

  • Sources of attributes for editing are displayed in the context area in the lower section of the recipe editor.
    There are three tabs:

    • Pool: The pool for the property is displayed. 
    • Sheet: The available values are displayed in sheet form.
    • Editor: If an editor is available for the property, the editor is displayed.
    For each property that has more than one tab available in the context area, the context area opens to the tab that was opened last.
    To hide the context area, disable Context Area in the window settings.

  • To pin the current view of the context area in place, enable the  on the bottom left. The displayed values in the context area of the recipe editor now stay pinned, selecting a different attribute in the recipe line does not change them.
    You can still switch between pool, sheet, and editor.
    When you toggle the pin off, the values of the selected field in the phaser recipe line are displayed.

  • In pools in the context area, Assign, Label, Move, and Copy are available in the swipey commands. Other swipey commands are not available and grayed out.
    Pool settings are available in the context area. To open them, tap MA in the upper left corner of the pool. Pool objects in the context area can be addressed using the command line.
  • Selection has three additional buttons in the context area. To clear the selection cell, tap None. To apply the selection that is set in the selected value preset, tap From Value. To apply the current selection in the programmer, tap Take Selection.

  • Tap New with Selection in the selection drop-down list to create a new group in the groups pool that contains the current selection and reference it in the recipe.

  • On the bottom right of the window there are seven action buttons for quick access to important functions: To hide the action buttons, disable Action Buttons in the settings.
    • Add Programmer Part: Add a programmer part line. This button does the same as tapping New Programmer Part at the bottom of the recipe lines.
    • Add Standard Recipe: Add a recipe line for a standard recipe with one step. If the new recipe is added to an existing recipe, the new recipe inherits the selection of the previous recipe.
    • Add Phaser Recipe: Add a recipe line for a phaser recipe with at least two steps. If the new recipe is added to an existing recipe, the new recipe inherits the selection of the previous recipe.
    • Insert Step: Add a step to a phaser recipe above the currently selected step. To add a step at the bottom, select New Step below the phaser recipe, then tap Insert Step. New steps inherit the value source from the previous step.
    • Add Value Source: Add a value source to a phaser recipe. Value sources include attributes and filters.
    • Adjust Shape: Open the shape pool in the context area of the recipe editor and select the cell in the shape column.
    • Adjust MAtricks: Open the MAtricks editor and select the cell in the MAtricks column.
  • In presets without a recipe line, the buttons above are grayed out, and an additional button called Turn into Standard Recipe is displayed. First, tap Turn into Standard Recipe to create a recipe preset and use the buttons as described above.

Additional improvements: 

  • Cut (), copy (), and paste () buttons were added to the toolbar on the left side of the recipe editor window. 

  • In the recipe area in the sequence sheet, there are four additional buttons in the toolbar on the left side:
    •   (green): Add a standard recipe to the cue part.
    •  (violet): Add a phaser recipe to the cue part.
    • : Delete the selected step or recipe. 
    • : Open a temporary recipe editor pop-up for the recipe line that was last selected. 
  • To automatically set the focus to another cell after selecting a value, enable Auto Focus to Next Cell in the settings. Auto Focus to Next Cell is disabled by default.

  • To sort the recipe lines by attributes, enable Group by Attribute in the settings. The grid layout changes. One recipe line now corresponds to one attribute. Properties that correspond to the same step are grouped in a numbered Step header. Tap the arrow on the left of the header to unfold or collapse the group and display more or less columns for the step. By default, the group is collapsed.

  • Properties that correspond to the same attribute are grouped in a numbered Value Source header. Tap the arrow on the left of the header to unfold or collapse the group and display more or less columns for the attribute. By default, the group is collapsed. If multiple attributes are active in one phaser step, the attributes and their corresponding values are displayed next to each other.

  • To unfold or collapse the MAtricks columns, tap the arrow on the left of the MAtricks header. By default, the MAtricks columns are collapsed.

  • MAtricks with only one property can be used in the MAtricks cell in the recipe with or without a reference to the pool object. The same is true for MAtricks that only remove MAtricks values, for example an MAtricks object with No Group, No Width, and No Wings.
    MAtricks objects with more than one property are always referenced. They are indicated by   in the pool object.
    To use objects from the MAtricks pool without reference, tap the cell in the recipe grid and tap a pool object in the context area of the recipe edito    r. The value is applied to the cell but does not have a reference to the pool object.
    To reference objects in the recipe, use the dropdown in the cell or assign the object to the cell using the command line. MAtricks that are set individually in the cells of the recipe override the values of the object.

  • MAtricks values without a reference to a pool object are displayed in the bottom right of the MAtricks cell. This includes values that override the value of an object.
    The properties are indicated by a combination of the axis and the first letter of the property, for example YF for Fade Y. If only values on the x-axis are set individually, the X is omitted, for example: W for XWings.
    To remove all MAtricks values without a reference to a pool object, tap Clear Individuals in the selection drop-down.

  • Objects that are referenced in the recipe can be edited in the recipe. To do so, type EditSetting in the command line and tap the cell in the recipe grid. The changes are stored in the object in the pool.

  • Recipe templates can be set as values in the Values column in standard recipes.

  • When adding a standard recipe line to an existing phaser recipe, the phaser recipe can be linked in the Values column. Tap and hold the values cell in the standard recipe line and select the phaser recipe in the Edit Values pop-up.
    When adding a phaser recipe line to an existing phaser recipe, the previous phaser recipe can be linked in the Shape column. Tap and hold the shape cell in the new phaser recipe and select the phaser recipe in the Edit Shape pop-up.

  • To ensure a clean overview in the recipe grid, properties are merged into appropriate cells to reduce the lines that are displayed, for example FadeFromX and FadeToX are merged to FadeX. For more information see Changes. 

  • To set a range of values for a property that can have a range of values, select the cell and type in a range of values using Thru in the calculator, for example 20 Thru 60.
    If a single value is set to a property that can have a range of values, the value is applied to From. If the property was set to a range of values before, the To value is reset to None.
    The new properties and value ranges can also be addressed via command line.
    Examples:
    To set a range of 0 to 5 for FadeX, type:

    User name[Fixture]>Set Cue 1 Part 0.1 Property "FadeX" "0 Thru 5"

    To change only the starting value and set it to 4, type:

    User name[Fixture]> Set Sequence 1 Cue 1 Part 0.1 Property "FadeFromX" "4"

  • Added Edit Title Bar, FontSize, PresetReadoutMode, DataPool, Edit Recipe, and Clean Up to the window settings. For more information, see Recipes. 


 Added shape pool:

A shape is an object containing a single recipe that defines how values are transferred between steps over time. They can be imported and exported via the show creator.

Use shape objects in phaser recipes to quickly and easily determine curves and other values.

Shapes includes Transition, Width, Acceleration, and Deceleration values.
Additionally, Attributes, Speed, Measure, Adaptive Measure, Adaptive Width, and Adaptive XY Rotation can be set in the shape.

To edit a shape, tap Edit and tap the pool object or use the swipey commands or the command line.

To open the settings of the shape editor, press  in the upper left corner of the editor.

To define a minimum width for the steps in a shape, go to the settings, tap Minimum Step Width, and set a value in the calculator.

Shapes that contain information about one or more attributes can be called into the programmer and output directly. The values that are set in the shape will be applied to the attributes that are defined in the shape for the current selection.
If a shape contains attribute information, the feature group indicator bar is displayed in the bottom of the shape. White squares indicate that values of attributes of the corresponding feature group are stored in the shape.
Shapes that are generic and do not contain attribute values do not have a feature group indicator bar. If a generic shape is called into the programmer, the values that are set in the shape will be applied to active attributes in the programmer with multi-step values.

There are 22 predefined shapes in the pool. Some of them are specific to an attribute, some are generic and can be applied to multiple or all attributes.


The 1D tab in the shape editor and the editor tab in the context area provide quick and easy access to a 1D layout of the attributes in the shape and Accel X, Decel X, Trans X, Width X, Value Absolute, and Value Relative for each step.

The blue grid in the 1D layout displays the width on the x-axis with bolder separating lines at 100 %. The step numbers are displayed in the center of each step.

To modify the curves, move the handles or change the values in the buttons. The curves of all enabled attributes are modified collectively. If there are more than two steps, the two selected steps are highlighted in gray.

Attributes are displayed as toggle buttons at the top. To edit a shape of an attribute, enable the corresponding button. To change attributes, use a two finger edit to open the assignment editor and select an attribute in the list.
To display the curves of disabled attributes in a darker green color, enable Show All Attributes in the settings. To hide the curves of disabled attributes, disable Show All Attributes.

In addition to the attributes, there are six buttons above the 1D layout:

  • : Enable or disable all attributes. 
  • Show Step Values: If this button is disabled, the actual value range of the shape is displayed to span across the full height of the 1D layout. If it is enabled, the height of the 1D layout represents the full available range of values.
  • Attribute: Delete all enabled attributes from the shape.
  •  Attribute: Add an attribute to the shape.
  •  Step: Delete the selected step of a shape. The number of the step that is to be deleted is displayed in the button.
  •  Step: Add a step to a shape. The step is added at the end of the phaser.

 Added Shape keyword:  

The Shape keyword addresses the shape pool using the command line.

Use this syntax:

[Function] Shape ["Shape_Name" or Shape_Number]

Example:

  • To store shape 21, type:
    User name[Fixture]>Store Shape 21


Hint:
Storing a shape deactivates programmer values.

Presets

 Improved in this release:

Presets were enhanced and they now provide a more consistent and efficient workflow for programming. A key improvement is the introduction of a more powerful Universal call mode, and the option to mark a value as universal. Any preset, even MAgic presets, can now be called universally, regardless of the data stored. When a preset is called universally and it does not have a universally marked value, the system prioritizes global values. If there are no global values, the system will use the first selective value it finds. Fixtures without stored data automatically receive values from the first matching global or selective value source.
Values are always stored to existing channels of real fixtures and for the usage of universal and global, the data is marked as global or universal. The universal data is indicated by two yellow markers in the upper right corner of the attribute values.

Hint:
Values that are marked as global and universal values are applied to channels that do not have stored values.

Handle preset modes (Selective, Global, and Universal) more flexibly and individually with the new setting Preset Mode.

Regardless of how presets were stored, the mode can be adjusted in presets at any time. For example, a selective color preset that contains information of one fixture can be called universally for any other fixture that uses the same color attributes, even in fixtures that use different color systems. 

To set the mode for a single preset pool object, go to the edit setting pop-up of the preset and enable Settings in the title bar. Swipe Preset Mode. The drop-down displays the following options:          

  • Selective (S):
    Changes the preset to a selective preset.
  • Global (G): 
    Changes the preset to a global preset.
  • Universal (U):
    Changes the preset to a universal preset.

To speed up the workflow, Channel Filter was added to the store pop-up. It defines which values from which fixtures and attributes are stored into the preset. 

The following options are the same as below the "Use Selection" in the Store Settings pop-up: 

  • Active For Selected:
    Stores all active attributes but only for the fixtures selected in the programmer. This is only available in the data source of the programmer.
  • All For Selected:
    Stores all attributes of the selected fixtures.
  • Active:
    Stores the values that are active in the programmer. This is only available in the data source of the programmer. 
  • All:
    Stores all attributes for all fixtures.
When Preset Mode  Default is set in your store settings, the preset mode drop-down in the store pop-up now shows the preset mode of the destination preset object in <>, such as <Universal>. It also now includes a new ForceUniversal option, which stores the preset as universal discarding any existing selective or global data. When storing values as global or universal while there are two or more fixtures with different values, a pop-up appears to warn that you are trying to store non-matching values. Non-matching values are a contradiction in the definition of Global and Universal. For more information see Preset Mode Conflict in Create New Presets.

 Added option keywords /ForceGlobal and /ForceUniversal:
  • /ForceGlobal adds global data to the preset that already contains selective data. Subsequently, selective data will be removed in the preset of fixtures of the same fixture type.
  • /ForceUniversal adds universal data to the preset and sets its call mode to universal. Subsequently, selective data will be removed in this preset.
Use this syntax:

[Function] Preset ["Preset_Name" or Preset_Number] /ForceGlobal

[Function] Preset ["Preset_Name" or Preset_Number] /ForceUniversal

Known Limitation:
When using the Universal Preset for Default, Highlight, or Lowlight, the attribute channel of the destination fixture must have a value that is marked as universal in the preset. For example, if the RGB value must be 100, then it has to be stored as 100 and marked as universal for each attribute channel.

Another useful addition is combining the option keywords /Selective, /Global, and /Universal with the At command to call presets into the programmer. To speed up the programming experience, at any time, regardless of the data stored, you can call a preset universally and store it to a cue. When changing or adding a universally marked value to the presets, the cues will be updated accordingly.

You can decide how you want to call the preset regardless of the preset mode. This is very handy when you need to quickly and universally call a preset that was originally stored as selective.  Afterward, you can still go back and change the preset mode or add selective data in other fixtures. 

Example: 

  • To call the first color preset for fixture 1 universally, type:
    User name[Fixture]>Fixture 1 At Preset 4.1 /Universal


 Improved embedded and referenced presets: 
  • Improved the calculation of embedded recipes when calculating embedded presets and their maximum chain length. For more information, see the Embedded Presets section in the help manual.
  • Added a Depth column to the ListReference pop-up, displaying the actual chain length of referenced presets. For more information, see ListReference Keyword. A warning icon () appears in the corresponding preset object when the maximum depth limit is reached. If this limit is exceeded, updating these presets, for example using a TotalReferenceUpdate, is not guaranteed to work reliably. 


 Improved the universal fixture type:

  • The Universal fixture type is no longer set as the required default fixture in new show files. The existing universal fixture type is now a customizable "Moving Head" fixture type in the Generic folder of the fixture library can still be manually added via Insert New Fixtures. This fixture type is useful when patching fixtures, providing maximum flexibility in programming. Additionally, this provides an opportunity to have dedicated fixtures to hold universally marked channel values for the use in universal presets, similar to the old workflow with the universal fixture type.
  • As the term Universal now relates specifically to the marked data inside a preset, the IDType Universal was renamed Generic. Multiple fixtures can now be set to the IDType Generic. For instance, fixtures based on the generic ID type may be used as dummy fixtures during preprogramming or to store global and universal values within presets.
Important:
Fixtures of the IDType Generic are not automatically selected when using SelectFixtures on a preset that contains global or universal data. For example, to select fixtures on a preset, clear the selection and tap a preset or SelectFixtures Preset 1.1.


When a preset contains only selective data for such fixtures, it will still get selected via SelectFixtures on the preset.

Hint:
Show files saved in version 2.3 or prior will replace the IDType Universal with the IDType Generic.
  • All fixture types can now be used in a universal way to easily transfer data to various fixture types in different show files. They behave just like the universal fixture.
    To define specific fixture types as the preferred data holders of universally marked values:
  1. Open the Patch menu and go to the Fixture Types tab.
  2. In the Special Purpose column, set the fixture type to Universal.
  3. Save and exit the patch. When the fixture that was used to create the universal values is no longer available, the software tries to move those universal values to the fixtures whose Special Purpose is set to Universal.
Known Limitation:
You should not store global and universal data to fixtures of the same fixture type.
We recommend storing universal data to generic fixtures. 

MIDI Show Control (MSC)

 New in this release:

MIDI Show Control (MSC) is a way to remote control the system. To read more about MSC in general and the MSC command structure, visit https://midi.org.

grandMA3 devices can be controlled by other devices via MSC, and vice versa.

Restriction:
MSC is transmitted via MIDI 5pin cable. MSC via ethernet is not supported.
Important:
MSC uses the Remote  user profile for remote input and output. For more information about user profiles, see Create User.
Important:
To determine whether MSC can be transmitted or received, adjust the MIDI Data Mode setting in the output configuration. The default is In & Out.

The MSC menu is located in Menu – In & Out – MSC.

The menu is divided into three areas (Input, Output, and Executor Mapping) with multiple input fields and a monitor field.

Input:

  • Enable Input:
    The device can receive MSC from other devices.
  • Input Device:
    Set the input device ID number.
  • Input Group:
    Set the input group ID number.
  • Input Data Pool:
    The input data pool is linked to the selected data pool of the remote user by default. This is indicated by brackets <> around the number. To set an individual pool ID, tap and hold Input Data Pool and use the calculator. To link it again, tap Link Remote in the calculator.
  • Input Command:
    Select the command format to receive MSC.
    • Extensions:
      Extensions command format (hex 00).
    • General Light:
      General lights command format (hex 01).
    • Moving Light:
      Moving Light command format (hex 02).
    • All:
      All type command format (hex 7F).
  • Display Input in System Monitor:
    The system monitor displays accepted MSC messages that match with MSC input settings.

Output:

  • Enable Output:
    If enabled, the device can send MSC to other devices.
  • Output Device:
    Set the device ID number that MSC is transmitted to.
  • Output Group:
    Set the group ID number that MSC is transmitted to.
  • Output Data Pool: 
    The output data pool is linked to the selected data pool of the remote user by default. This is indicated by brackets <> around the number. To set an individual pool ID, tap and hold Output Data Pool and use the calculator. To link it again, tap Link Remote in the calculator.
  • Output Command:
    Select the command format to transmit MSC.
    • Extensions:
      Extensions command format (hex 00).
    • General Light:
      General lights command format (hex 01).
    • Moving Light:
      Moving Light command format (hex 02).
    • All:
      All type command format (hex 7F). All equipment should respond to this format.
  • Display Output in System Monitor:
    The system monitor displays all transmitted MSC messages.
  • Output Executor:
    • Default:
      MSC commands go to and from the selected executors on the master station only.
    • Executor.Page:
      MSC commands are sent to a specific executor. The page and executor number must be separated by a "period" character (hex = 2E)
    • Executor Page:
      MSC commands are sent to a specific executor. The page and executor number must be separated by a "NULL" character (hex = 00).
  • Send To:
    • Group:
      The station transmits MSC to the specified group number (1 to 15).
    • Device:
      The station transmits MSC to the specified device number (0 to 111).
    • All:
      The station transmits MSC to all connected devices.

Executor Mapping:

  • Key Row 400 Start - Key Row 100 Start:
    The start index can be separately defined for each executor row. For example, tap Key Row 100 Start to open the calculator and set a value between 0 and 1 000 to define the starting point of the corresponding executor row. If multiple rows have the same input index value, the highest executor row will be addressed. The priority of the other rows becomes secondary.
  • Fader Row 400 Start - Fader Row 100 Start:
    The start index can be separately defined for each row of fader executors. For example, tap Fader Row 100 Start to open the calculator and set a value between 0 and 127 to define the starting point of the corresponding fader row. If multiple rows have the same input index value, the highest fader row will be addressed. The priority of the other rows becomes secondary.

Monitor:

  • The monitor field displays MSC data feedback.
  • The messages inside the monitor are displayed in different colors depending on their status. Incoming commands are displayed in yellow, transmitted commands are displayed in green.
  • The system monitor window also displays MSC data. Use the buttons Display Input in System Monitor and Display Output in System Monitor to determine which data to display in the system monitor.

grandMA3 supports seven different command types:

  • Go (01):
    This is the same as the Go+ command in grandMA3. It is usually followed by a cue number.
  • Stop (02):
    This is the same as the Pause On command in grandMA3. This can be followed by a cue number.
  • Resume (03):
    This is the same as the Pause Off command in grandMA3. This will restart a cue that was paused.     If a specific cue is paused, the number of the cue will have to be specified with this command. 
  • Timed_Go (04):
    This can be used to perform a Goto with a specific fade time. Use both, the time and the cue number, exactly in that order.
  • Set (06):
    Set can be used to set the position of faders. Use fader number and page followed by position. Adding an optional time in MSC standard time format allows you to fade the fader to the given position at the given time. 
  • Fire (07):
    This can be used to trigger macros. The macro number has to follow the command. Only macro 1 to 127 can be triggered. Macro 1 is mapped to FIRE      01.
    Known Limitation:
    The command type Fire (07) is only implemented for MSC input.
  • Go_Off (0B):
    This command can be used to "Off" (disable) executors. This has to be followed by a cue number.
    Hint:
    In preview mode, the device does not transmit or receive MSC.
Important:
Without a specific number followed by a command, the selected object of the remote user is executed if the object is linked to the data pool and assigned to an executor.
If no page is set in the input, the MSC Monitor will display page 0 which is mapped to the selected page of the remote user. 

Preview

 Added in this release:

Preview mode enables the operator to preview objects without affecting the live show output. When activated, the programmer's content is isolated from the actual output. For example, the operator can run through a sequence  in preview while the output stays unchanged.
Important:
Preview is enabled for all users that share the same user profile. This means that in a session with multiple users a separate user profile must be used if one user wants to work in the preview environment while another user stays in the live environment.

To preview a sequence or cue:

  • Press Prvw and tap a sequence pool object.
  • Press Prvw  Sequ  1 Cue  5  Please.

If other objects are loaded in the preview environment before, they will be removed from the preview environment.

Hint:
Preview of a running sequence starts the preview playback on the running cue.

Once preview is enabled, you can add or remove objects from the preview environment.
To do so:

  • To add or remove objects, press and hold Prvw and tap a sequence pool object. 
  • To remove objects, press Prvw Off Sequ 2 Please.

Orange flashing binoculars () in the pool object indicate the primary previewed object. This is the object that is selected in preview.
White flashing binoculars () indicate objects that are not selected but that are loaded in the preview environment.
If multiple objects are added to the preview environment, by default, the primary previewed object is the object that was added last.

Storing or updating objects in preview directly stores or updates them in the live environment.

Important:
Storing or updating sequences or cues can affect live output, for example if you update a running cue or a previous cue while tracking is enabled.

To switch between the preview environment and the live environment, double press Prvw. To leave preview, you can also press Prvw + Off.
When you enter preview, the preview environment opens to its previous state.

Hint:
The first time you enter the preview mode, you have to select a sequence or cue you would like to have in preview. Otherwise, the preview environment will be empty.

The following windows support preview mode and are visually indicated by an orange frame while preview is enabled:

  • 3D Viewer
    The 3D viewer can either display the preview or the live output. To switch between the two, tap Follow Preview in the Misc tab of the 3D viewer settings. By default, Follow Preview is enabled in the 3D viewer.
  • Align Bar
  • At Filter
  • Content Sheet
  • DMX Sheet
    The DMX sheet can either display the preview or the live output. To switch between the two, tap Follow Preview in the Display tab of the DMX sheet settings. By default, Follow Preview is disabled in the DMX sheet.
  • Fixture Sheet
  • Layout Viewer
  • MAtricks Editor
  • Off Menu
  • Phaser Editor
  • Recipe Editor
  • Running Playbacks
  • Selection Bar
  • Selection Grid
  • Sequence Sheet
  • sMArt
  • Special Dialog
  • Step Bar

The preview encoder bar is displayed in the same orange color as the frames around windows interacting with preview. It has two different modes - the preview preparation bar and the preview encoder bar that is displayed in the preview environment.

To access the preview preparation bar, press Prvw once.
It has two toggle buttons that are only available in the preparation bar: 

  • Transfer Selection: When enabled, it copies the live selection into the preview environment when entering preview. 
  • Transfer Programmer: When enabled, it copies live programmer values into the preview environment when entering preview.  

    • As soon as you enter the preview mode by double pressing Prvw or preview an object, the preview encoder bar has the following controls:

  • Object: Selects the primary previewed object using Encoder Wheel 1. Pressing the encoder opens a drop-down to select a primary previewed object. In this selection drop-down, sequences that are running in preview are indicated by a green arrow () on the right.
  • Cue: Selects the currently previewed cue using Encoder wheel 2. Pressing the encoder opens the Goto Cue po-up to select a cue.
  • Copy Selection: Copies the selection from the live environment into the preview environment.
  • Copy Programmer: Copies data from the programmer of the live environment into the programmer of the preview environment. 
  • Copy Playbacks: Copies active playbacks from the live environment into the preview environment.

  • Clear Preview Environment: Removes all objects from the preview environment.

  • AutoStart: Selects an auto start mechanism for sequences
    • Off: When selecting multiple sequences, none will be started.
    • Single: When selecting multiple sequences, it starts the last one. For example, Preview Sequence 1 Thru 3 starts sequence 3.
    • Multi: When selecting multiple sequences, all of them will be started. 
  • <<<: Select previous cue.
  • II: Pause current cue.
  • >>>: Select next cue.
  • <: Trigger Go-.
  • : Trigger Toggle.
  • >: Trigger Go+.
  • Preview Bar: Toggles the preview encoder bar.

If a cue is selected, the sequence is displayed next to the encoders in the preview encoder bar.

Preview mode uses its own data pool located in Data Pool Object 128.

All actions performed in preview mode are displayed in the command line history.

Hint:
Command line feedback is not displayed in the system monitor.

The master section is for live output only.

Using highlight, lowlight, and solo while you are in preview only affects the preview environment, not the live output.


 Added in this release:      

Added the option keywords /AutoStart, /TransferProgrammer, and /TransferSelection.

  • /AutoStart option keyword automatically starts your sequence in the preview.
  • /TransferProgrammer keyword transfers data from the programmer of live environment to preview environment.
  • /TransferSelection keyword transfers the selection from live environment to preview environment.

Use this syntax: 

Set UserProfile ["UserProfile_Name" or UserProfile_Number] Property ["Property_Name"] ["Option_Value"] 

Improved MVR and Partial Show Read

Important:
MVR integration is now part of the Show Creator / Partial Show Read. For more information see the "New in this release" section below.
Important:
Exporting MVR files was integrated into the Export dialog in the patch menu. For more information see the section "Improved in this release" further down.

In this release, multiple features were added to improve the overall handling of fixture types. Especially, the import and export of fixture types was restructured for them  to be handled, edited, integrated, and reused easily in different show files. 

Additionally, multiple bugs were fixed regarding MVR import, export, and GTDF file handling. For more information, see Bug Fixes.

 New in this release:

Partial Show Read supports MVR integration. To open the PSR menu, press Menu – Show Creator – Partial Show Read. Then tap MVR in the top right corner of the menu. Select between User, and Demo MVR files.
To check all boxes, tap Check All. Fixtures and Group Objects are checked by default. The following list of MVR object types can be selected individually:

  • Fixtures
  • Group Objects
  • Scene Objects
  • Focus Points​
  • Supports
  • Trusses
  • Video Screens
  • Projectors
Important:
MVR import via Partial Show Read clears the programmer.
  • GDTF and MVR import can be canceled by pressing and holding MA + ESC or Shift + ESC for five seconds. 
  • Additionally it is possible to set an MVR object type for each fixture type to define the object type of a fixture when exporting as MVR. Open the patch menu, then go to Fixture Types. Tap and hold the cell in the  MVR Object Type column of a fixture type and select a type from the drop-down. 
  • MVR in grandMA3 now supports multipatch fixtures.

 Improved in this release:

  • It is now possible to exchange fixture types directly in the PSR Prepare menu. Tap and hold the cell in the Fixture Type (PSR Patch: Left side only) column of the fixture you want to exchange or select multiple fixtures and then tap and hold. This opens the Insert New Fixture Type pop-up of the patch menu so you can select a fixture type from the Show or Library tab. Select a fixture type and tap Select. The fixture types are now exchanged in your PSR patch, indicated by cyan font in the Fixture Type column. If you previously selected a fixture type in the Show tab, the column displays "Local". If you selected one in the Library tab, it displays "New".
  • To easily detect matching fixtures where only some of the data differentiates for a single property in the PSR patch, the data that changed is now highlighted in orange text in the cells on the left side.
  • Added GUID, Position and Rotation columns to the grid of the PSR Patch dialog.
  • A separating line was added in the list between matched and unmatched fixtures.
  • Added   and  to the PSR Prepare menu, to partially import patch data. The properties Patch, Position, and Rotation can be individually imported. Tap on a single property of a fixture or select multiple properties. Use  and  between the two patch areas to define which properties will be used:
    • : Use the selected properties in the resulting patch.
    • : Remove the selected properties from the resulting patch. 
  • Improved the buttons between the two patch areas that define which fixtures will be used in the resulting patch:
    • : Use the selected fixtures in the resulting patch.
    • : Use the fixtures from the opposite patch in the resulting patch. 
    • : Remove the selected fixtures from the resulting patch.
  • Added Use PSR Patch Column (adds data of the patch column to the resulting patch) and Use PSR Position/Rotation Columns (adds data of the position and rotation columns to the resulting patch) buttons on the left side of the menu.
  • The matchmaking of the configuration lines has changed. The order for comparison is now FID → CID → GUID → Name.
  • If you want to perform a partial show read and want to keep fixtures from both sides with the same FID, CID, Name, and UUID, tap and hold the cell in the GUID column of the fixture in the PSR Prepare menu. In the selection pop-up, tap New to give the fixture a new UUID. You can now apply PSR.
  • Added Auto Scroll to the title bar of the PSR menu. If it is enabled and you add or remove fixtures from the resulting patch, the focus jumps to the new position of the selected fixtures in the grid. If it is disabled, the focus stays in the current position. By default, Auto Scroll is enabled.

  • The export settings for MVR files were integrated into the Export option within the patch menu. As a result, Export MVR was removed from the patch menu.
    In the patch, tap Export to open the patch export pop-up. The export type is categorized into two options, grandMA3 and MVR, with MVR selected by default. The Export options are displayed on the right: Entire Patch exports all fixtures in the patch. Selected Fixtures exports only the fixtures that are currently selected. The export file name can be defined in the Name field. <Default> will automatically generate a name depending on the selected fixtures. Tap Export to initiate the export process and generate the MVR file. Tap Delete to remove the currently selected file from the list. For more information, see My Virtual Rig (MVR).
  • Added the option keyword /MVR to export the patch as MVR file instead of a grandMA3 XML file. Use this syntax:

    Export [Object] ["Object_Name" or Object_Number] (If Drive ["Drive_Name" or Drive_Number]) /MVR

Phone Tethering via USB

 New in this release:

You can now connect to the world server on grandMA3 consoles via USB tethering. Enable USB Network in the Station Control settings on grandMA3 consoles. Connect a mobile device that supports phone tethering via USB or alternatively a router through a USB ethernet adapter. Connect the device to the console via USB port. With mobile devices, make sure to activate phone tethering on your mobile device after connecting. Once enabled, the USB Network connection is listed in My Interfaces in the network menu.

Restriction:
Phone tethering is only supported on devices that are compatible with Android™ and Apple®.
We do not guarantee compatibility with all mobile devices.